SAUDI ARABIA: On Sunday, Saudi Arabia and the United States urged the continuation of a ceasefire agreement that has slowed down a six-week military conflict but provided little in the way of humanitarian aid for civilians.
Residents stated that fighting broke out overnight in the capital Khartoum and Omdurman, a neighbouring city over the Nile, while human rights observers reported deadly battles in El Fashir, one of the major cities in the western region of Darfur.
The confrontation between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that started on April 15 has left the capital reeling from intense battles, anarchy, and a breakdown in services, displacing almost 1.3 million people from their homes and having the potential to destabilise the region.
The week-long truce negotiated in discussions in Jeddah under the direction of the United States and Saudi Arabia is due to run until Monday night.
Both nations are remotely monitoring the ceasefire, which has been broken multiple times, and have called on the RSF and Anrmy Army to “continue discussions to reach agreement on extending the ceasefire”.
Saudi Arabia and the United States said in a joint statement that “while imperfect, an extension nonetheless will facilitate the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people.”
The RSF has stated that it is prepared to discuss the prospect of an extension and that it will continue to monitor the cease-fire “to test the seriousness and commitment of the other party to proceed with the renewal of the agreement or not.”
The army made no statement regarding the potential extension of the ceasefire. Since the conflict started, more than 300,000 people have left Sudan’s borders, with the majority of them leaving Khartoum for Egypt in the north or Darfur for Chad in the west.
In Khartoum, businesses, residences, offices, and banks have all either been robbed or destroyed. There are severe shortages of medications and medical supplies, and food supplies have been running low. Power, water, and telecommunications are frequently interrupted.
“We left because of the impact of the war. I have children, and I fear for them because of the lack of medical treatment,” said 29-year-old Samia Suleiman, a resident of the capital.
The truce agreement has provided some relief from the intense fighting, but isolated confrontations and airstrikes have continued.
The United Nations and relief organisations claim that despite the ceasefire, it has been difficult for them to obtain administrative permissions and security guarantees for the transportation of workers and supplies to Khartoum and other regions in need. Looting has occurred at warehouses.
With hundreds of deaths reported in El Geneina, close to the Chadian border, violence has erupted in several areas of Darfur, which has already experienced conflict and displacement. The capital of North Darfur State, El Fashir, has also seen fighting in recent days.
According to an activist group called the Darfur Bar Association, three people had died and 26 had been injured in one El Fashir hospital on Saturday. It indicated there were many more people still missing.
The Health Ministry reported that at least 730 individuals nationwide have perished in the conflict, while the actual toll is probably far higher. Up to 510 deaths in El Geneina have been separately reported.
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